Dirty Little Secrets [Impulse 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Zara Chase

  “This ain’t working. I’m just frightening her even more. Do something, buddy.”

  “Yeah, okay. Keep her attention on you.”

  * * * *

  Survival instincts kicked in. Nicole had no idea what was going on in this whacky place, or where these obviously wild animals had come from, and she didn’t intend to hang around and find out. Presumably they were on the prowl for food and she had no plans to be their main course. She tried to run, but it was as though she was wading through treacle. Her feet felt weighted down and refused to do as they were told. The small part of her brain still capable of rational thought told her that fear was making her clumsy. Her limbs weren’t pacified by rationality and still refused to cooperate.

  The distance between her and the door now seemed like a mile, impossible to cover before one of the cats pounced on her. She hyperventilated as she weighed up her options—such as they were. Where the hell were Pascal and Kai?

  Now would be a good time to come home, guys.

  If there was more than one target, the cats would get confused. Perhaps. Nicole could feel her heart slamming against her rib cage as it beat at what felt like triple its normal rate. Dying of a heart attack would be preferable to being eaten alive, she supposed, but dying wasn’t on her “to-do” list this month. There had to be a way out of this situation. They were big and wild and had large teeth, but she had a larger brain. Not that it was coming up with anything useful right now but hopefully inspiration would strike before the cats did.

  The gray cat bounded from strong hind legs and landed between her and the door. It was crazy, but when it opened its mouth she was filled with the ridiculous notion that it was trying to communicate with her. But all she saw were its vicious rows of teeth. She tried to scream, but fear robbed her of the ability. The other cat was now directly behind her, but neither one actually struck out.

  What were they waiting for? Cats did that sort of thing, didn’t they? They were cruel and toyed with their prey before delivering the killer blow. Bastards! She needed a weapon, but of course there was nothing to hand. Fuck it, what a way to die.

  She looked directly into the eyes of the cat blocking her way and the oddest thing happened. Suddenly she wasn’t afraid anymore. There was something familiar and comforting about those eyes and she instinctively knew these felines meant her no harm. Her limbs stopped shaking and she actually wagged a finger at the very handsome creature still standing between her and the door.

  “You don’t frighten me, you big pussycat,” she said severely, wondering if she’d actually lost her mind. Fear was supposed to be relative. She felt calmer, but that didn’t mean her situation wasn’t dire.

  A chortle sounded from behind her. A distinctly human chortle. She turned around and gasped. The large tawny cat had gone and Pascal stood there instead.

  “What the fuck—”

  “So sorry, darlin’. You shouldn’t have seen that.”

  “No, you don’t understand. Quick, we need to get out of here. There were two huge cats. I was terrified. One of them is still here and I—”

  Pascal grasped her by the shoulders and turned her to fully face him, pulling her against the solid wall of his chest. The need for solace was overwhelming. Without hesitation she snuggled against him, feeling safe, tears coursing down her face.

  “You shouldn’t have found out—”

  “Just a minute.” Her head shot up from his lovely broad shoulder. “Where did you come from? This room was empty, apart from…Look, I’m not crazy. Is there or is there not a huge cat between me and the door?”

  “Nope,” Pascal said, his lips grazing the top of her head. “Just Kai and he’s incapable of hurting anyone.”

  “I don’t believe it!”

  But somehow she did. Before she even turned to look she knew it was Kai that she’d see standing there with his infectious smile, compelling charm and intelligent amber eyes. Eyes that were the exact same color as the ones she’d thought she’d seen in that cat’s face.

  “What’s going on, guys?” she asked, relief making her both angry and weary. “I was woken up by a shutter banging in the wind—”

  “I’ve been meaning to fix that,” Kai said apologetically.

  “This room was empty, but the window was wide open. Next thing two huge cats appeared and nearly frightened me to death. Now you two just materialized out of nowhere, and—”

  “Let’s talk about this in the sitting room.”

  Pascal took her hand and let her in that direction. Kai followed behind, paused to pour her a measure of brandy, and handed it to her.

  “I don’t need alcohol,” she said, waving the drink aside. “I need answers.”

  “You’ve had a shock,” Pascal said soothingly. “And I’m afraid you’re about to have another.”

  Her head shot up. She was teetering on the brink. She didn’t need any more surprises. “What are you talking about?”

  “We didn’t mean for you to find out this way, didn’t want to frighten you, but—”

  “You’re frightening me more by procrastinating.” She picked up her drink and took a sip of brandy, even though she really didn’t want it. “Just tell me I’m not going crazy, imagining wild beasts on the roam, and then tell me whatever it is that you didn’t want me to find out.”

  Kai sat beside her and took her hand in his. Pascal crouched in front of her, close but not touching, caressing her with his eyes.

  “What you saw just now,” he said gently. “There’s no easy way to say this, but it wasn’t your imagination. It was us.”

  “What!” Nicole choked on a laugh. “I know you think I’m an irrational female and you just want to make me feel better, but that won’t cut it.”

  “The truth is often the hardest thing to believe.”

  Nicole shook her head. “Tell me I’m dreaming all this.”

  “Afraid not,” Kai replied. “The reason why Impulse seems a bit out of kilter to outsiders is because we’re a colony of feline shape-shifters.”

  She opened her eyes very wide and felt the color drain from her face. “Sorry, I must have misheard you. I could have sworn you just said—”

  “There’s nothing wrong with your hearing, or your eyesight,” Pascal said. “That was Kai and me you saw in our room just now. We were on our way back from the national park. A group of us had been out picking herbs.”

  “Oh, of course you had. Herbs.” She offered them an exaggerated eye roll. “That would explain it.”

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, darlin’, and I’m as mad as heck that you had to find out the way that you did.” Pascal shrugged. “But that’s the way it is.”

  “Pascal and I are alpha pumas,” Kai told her. “Rafe and Vilas are panthers and overall leaders of the community. Mikael and Philo are tigers and run the medical institute.”

  “Slow down, buddy.” Pascal waved a warning at Kai. “Let her get used to one thing at a time.”

  “Oh, don’t stop now.” Nicole could hear the hysteria in her voice. “Not when it’s getting so interesting.”

  “You’re angry.”

  “No, I’m fucking furious!” She snatched her hand out of Kai’s, sorely tempted to throw the remains of her brandy at one or both of them. Instead she drained the glass in one gulp, put it aside, and almost choked as the fiery liquid hit the back of her throat too fast. “What sort of stunt was that to pull? Do you get off on scaring your guests shitless, or is it that you just don’t give a fuck?”

  “Darlin’, you have to calm down,” Pascal said in an infuriatingly controlled tone. “And we don’t like to hear you cussing, either.”

  “Firstly, I’m not your darling,” she said, deliberately accentuating her British accent, using it to draw a line between them. “Secondly, you’re in no position to tell me what to do or how to speak. You asked me to stay with you. If you don’t want me here, there are easier ways to get rid of me.” She paused, aware that she was on the point of completely freaking out, wh
ich didn’t seem like such a bad idea considering what she’d just been through. Reality was definitely overrated. “Except you no longer need to worry about me cramping your style. I’m out of here first thing in the morning.”

  * * * *

  Pascal and Kai exchanged a glance.

  “She’s adorable when she’s mad,” Kai pheromoned.

  “We could have scared her to death. Damn it, our timing was lousy, and we were lax. We should have been more alert, sensed she was in our room, and kept clear until she left.”

  “Should have, could have—too late for any of that. We need to regain her trust and make her believe us.”

  Pascal rolled his eyes. “Is that all?”

  “You’re doing it again.” Nicole’s voice recalled their attention. “That communication thing.”

  “Sorry,” Pascal said. “Force of habit. And you were right about that. Us shifters do have a means of communicating telepathically. We call it pheromoning and I was just tearing Kai a new one for not fixing that shutter when he said he would. If it hadn’t been for that you wouldn’t have had such a scare.”

  “The way you guys move,” she said slowly. “The way I saw people in the bar the other night rubbing faces all the time. All that raw meat you consume. I thought you were just a bit odd, but it’s not that at all.” She shared a speculative glance between them. “I didn’t imagine it, did I? You are felines of some sort, all of you in this weird place, and I did just see you in feline form in your bedroom.”

  “Shape-shifters exist all over the world,” Pascal said. “You’ve probably met one or two and don’t even know it. There’s no reason why you should. We function perfectly normally in your world. Humans don’t believe we actually exist and that’s the way we want it to stay.”

  “We’re not a freaking sideshow,” Kai snarled. “We have feelings and don’t want to be exploited just because we’re different and have certain powers.”

  “What powers?”

  “Apart from shifting, you mean?”

  “The thin air here,” Nicole said, flitting from one possibility to the next and not waiting for answers to her own questions. “Is that something to do with your other selves?”

  “Yeah, it is,” Pascal replied. “Humans can’t cope with it, which is why we thought you might have shifter blood when you arrived. Then it occurred to us that it was your swim training that helped you to handle the atmospheric conditions.”

  “Do you believe us now?” Kai asked. “Or would you like one of us to shift for you, just so you can be sure? You know we won’t hurt you, not for the world.”

  “I guess I have to believe it,” she said. “You seem like sane enough guys, I know I’m wide awake, and I know what I saw. It’s not something I’m likely to forget in a hurry.”

  “Good, I’m glad you feel that way.” Pascal could sense that her anger had been replaced by curiosity. “What do you need to know first?”

  “Tell me more about your little community of pussycats.”

  Kai laughed. “We actually do a lot of good here. Mikael can cure some infantile diseases that would otherwise be fatal using his powers and Philo’s herbs.”

  “Which you were out collecting tonight?”

  “Right.” Kai nodded. “There’s a particular one that’s only at the right stage at a certain time, and then only for a few days, so it was all paws to the national park.”

  “The thing is that Impulse’s atmosphere has a beneficial effect on us shifters,” Pascal explained. “Mikael couldn’t do what he does outside of this rarified atmosphere, which makes it vital that we keep hold of the place.”

  She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you? No one else can cope with the atmosphere.”

  “We have enemies, other shifters who want to take over. They aren’t prepared to live in harmony with us. If they were they’d be welcome. We have a strict pecking order, a council of alphas who make the rules and enforce them, but our enemies want to profit from Impulse’s unique properties rather than contribute to the community.”

  “The hedge fund is run for the benefit of the entire community,” Kai told her. “Every business contributes. Those in service industries rather than commercial enterprises get their share through the profits.”

  “So it really is a cooperative?”

  “Yes,” Pascal said. “Which is why we need Kai’s brilliance to keep the fund profitable.”

  “We’re always under the threat of attack and can never relax our guard,” Kai said. “Anyone who’s new here is always looked upon with suspicion.”

  “Which is why you wanted me to move in with you,” Nicole said, finally cracking a smile. “So you could keep an eye on me.”

  “No,” Kai said. “Not just for—”

  “Yes,” Pascal said.

  “Well, which is it?”

  “A bit of both,” Pascal replied evasively. “We knew you were who you said you were. We just didn’t know if any of our enemies had gotten to you, intentionally or otherwise.”

  “It sounds as though you live under near-seige conditions.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well, I can’t see any humans putting up with that.”

  “Then you’d be wrong. Chantal—you met her at the Cat’s Whiskers. She’s human and mated with Rafe and Vilas.”

  Nicole’s eyes widened. “Both of them?”

  “It’s not uncommon here. Mikael and Philo share Layla. A couple of other alphas share human mates, too. Chat with them if you like. They’ll tell you what they get out of it.”

  Nicole bit her lip. “Oh, I think I can probably draw my own conclusions,” she said, grinning.

  “She’s smiling,” Kai pheromoned. “I think she’s getting used to the idea.”

  “She ain’t there yet.”

  “Should we tell her that every other generation of alphas requires a human mate and that she’s the one for us?”

  “Hell no, she’d run a mile. Give her some time to adjust.”

  “Hmm, I guess you’re right.”

  “You’re the brains of this operation, I’m the common sense. Stick to what you do best and put all that gray matter to good use.”

  “Has anyone ever told you guys that it’s rude to whisper?”

  “Sorry, babe, force of habit.” Pascal offered her a full-wattage smile—the one that almost always got him out of trouble. Nicole seemed unaffected by it.

  “One of the compelling reasons our enemies want to get ahold of Impulse,” Kai said, “is that we live three years for every human’s one.”

  She gasped, looking thunderstruck. “You’re kidding me.”

  “Nope.” Pascal grinned. “In human years, Kai and I are in our eighties.”

  She shook her head repeatedly. “This keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

  “It’s not all weird. There are definite benefits, too. What else do you need to know?”

  “A thousand things, but most of all I’d like to know what connection my grandfather had to Impulse and why it was the only thing he spoke about on his death bed.”

  “Well, it just so happens that we can help you there.”

  “You can?” She looked at them askance. “If you knew something, why did you have me going through all those records?”

  “We only found out tonight. When you turned up, we told Rafe what you needed and he sent out a pheromone to the community, asking if anyone knew anything about your grandfather. No one did and he was actually on the verge of calling in the Shadow Shifters.”

  “The what?”

  “They are an international organization of shifters who carry out detective work, protection duties, resolve disputes that can’t be sorted by colonies on their own, stuff like that. The shifter version of a police force, I guess, and all reputable shifters recognize their powers as absolute.”

  “Rafe hardly ever involves them in Impulse matters,” Kai explained. “The rogue shifters who want to grab Impulse don’t recognize the Shadows’ authority because they’re lawles
s renegades and he doesn’t want to expose them to all our shit. The fact that he was prepared to call them in to help you out is a compliment.”

  Pascal nodded. “But then Davina, a beta panther, returned from a trip today, heard about it and—”

  “And she knew Gramps?” Nicole shifted forward and sat on the edge of her chair, her eyes alight with anticipation. “What did she say?”

  “She wants to tell you that herself,” Pascal replied.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You sure you don’t wanna sleep with us?” Pascal asked. “You’ve had a shock. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “Absolutely sure,” Nicole replied. “I’m a big girl. I’ve got a lot to think about, but I don’t need my hand held while I do it.”

  “Well, just yell if you need us.” Kai left her at the door to her room, wisely refraining from kissing her. Nicole’s head was reeling. She couldn’t handle being touched by either of them right now and they seemed to sense it. “We’ll be just down the hall. You know where to find us.”

  “I’ll be fine. Good night.”

  “Good night, darlin’,” they replied in unison. “Sweet dreams.”

  “Fat chance of that,” she muttered as she closed the door, leaned against it, and shut her eyes. “What the hell have I landed myself in?”

  She slid between the sheets but knew sleep would be impossible. So much about this place now made sense—but a lot of other things still didn’t. Like how had they managed to keep their presence secret from the outside world for so long? Why were they willing to trust her with the knowledge of who they actually were when they had no way of knowing if she’d run straight back to civilization and tell the world about it? All they had to say was that they could find no connection between Impulse and her grandfather and she’d have given up and gone home, having done her best. They knew she had a life and business—well, business anyway—that couldn’t be neglected for too long.

  The thing she found hardest to fathom was the strong connection she’d instantly felt to this quirky place. A change had come over her the moment she’d crossed the bridge and struggled to breathe the thin air. A sense of belonging, a feeling of family, the elusive inner peace she’d been striving to obtain for her entire life which had always seemed just out of reach. Perhaps she was allowing the close proximity of her two hunky hosts to sway her judgment, but Nicole didn’t think that was the case. It went deeper than that and had something to do with her grandfather.